The coolest airport in the world... well, one of them, anyway.

So I'm back in the US of A, my home.

But in my travels, I do get to see a lot. this is why we go around and explore... to experience new and unique things in life.

The best airport to be spending some layover time in is now in my book Incheon International there in South Korea.

My God, they sure know how to build things!
The architecture is superb and it reminds me of Bush International in Houston. Very sleek and modern and love all that steel and glass panels.
Koreans love their country and it shows in how much they spend on infrastructure. (that's a topic for another time)

But what takes Incheon over the top is the amenities.
Free massage chairs... sloped lounge chairs you can sleep in... small hotel rooms you can rent... good awesome food... there's even small chapels for whatever denomination you happen to believe in. There's a small museum, children's play area... the place is just chock full of things to do, it's like a small traveler's theme park.

The business lounge is another world altogether.  there was a 24 hour buffet with more massage chairs and free showers.
The free showers... oh... never was there a better stocked bathroom than what I saw in that place. It's even got free toothbrushes and razors along with small toothpaste kits and aftershave tonics. It really is a slice of home... well, if you lived in a home and garden magazine.

Of course, these amenities are available because people don't abuse them and take like say, 10 bars of soap from the free soap rack. We can learn from that. If only everyone takes what they need, then there is plenty for everyone. It's really simple but many people just don't get this concept.

There really isn't a reason to hoard things when there is so much in abundance.
So in societies where this is practiced, people only take what they need... one bar of soap per user.

This dovetails into a discussion about things held in common.
The showers and bathroom aren't really free, of course. Every airport user pays for them through airline tickets. Some of the funding also comes from Korean taxpayers who want visitors to their country to feel right at home. Imagine that... they care enough about it so that foreigners have a good stay --even if it's just for a layover.  And see what we get when we pool our resources like that...
Which is why I am a firm believer in sharer societies.

This system we're used to in our own country... where each man is out for his own or each little social group only takes care of its own inner circle is a medieval concept whose time is now past. It's time we really accepted the idea that we all want to be treated well no matter where we go. It's a universal concept to be sure.
Here, it is common to see our airports stocked with those small torture chairs (so nobody sleeps on them, I am sure). Probably an anti-hobo tactic, but hobos are gone now with the added security measures. We really should emulate other countries when it comes to these things.

It has been proven that collectively, we can do so much more than we can all by ourselves. No man is an island. This is what I always come to learn in my travels meeting with people.
We all collectively share in many things.
And societies that actively use that principle are some of the most advanced and most peaceful countries in the world.